Barrier operators of various kinds have been known and used for many years. Examples of such barrier operators include gate operators, rolling shutter operators, garage door operators, and the like. In one example, garage door operators are mounted within a garage to automate the process of opening and closing a garage door. Such garage door operators are designed to last for many years. In its simplest form, a garage door operator includes a motor connected to move a barrier between an open position and a closed position and control circuitry configured to control the motor. Such garage door operators can last and reliably operate a garage door for many years with basic maintenance.
More recently, however, barrier operators have begun evolving to include additional features beyond the simple task of opening and closing the barrier. Such new features include various safety features, lighting options, network communication options including remote operation of the barrier operator, and the like. To have access to such features, however, typically a completely new barrier operator with a new motor and connection equipment must be purchased and installed for a user to have access to the new features. This contradicts the reality where barrier operators are generally designed to perform their core function of opening and closing a barrier for many years.